Escaped Limestone County work-release inmate again in custody; injured in Florence high-speed chase

The Limestone County Sheriff’s Office says Joel Dwight Gooch, an inmate who escaped Tuesday, is back in custody.

Arrested Tuesday night by Florence Police, Gooch is now in hospital after being injured and started in a high-speed car chase.

At around 8:57 p.m., Florence police patrolmen saw the black Kawasaki motorcycle that Gooch is accused of stealing while working in the area.

Officials started a chase, saying the speed on Florence Boulevard exceeded 100 miles per hour.

The chase ended when the motorcycle drifted off the road and hit a stone wall. Gooch was ejected.

He suffered multiple injuries and was transported to Huntsville Hospital by ambulance, Florence police said.

On Tuesday, Acting Limestone County Sheriff Mike West said 35-year-old Gooch showed up to work at Vulcan Plastics on Durham Drive in Athens, but then departed around 8:30 a.m. on another employee’s black Kawasaki motorcycle.

The sheriff’s office said Gooch was serving a child support term.

Florence police said more charges are expected.